.EXE Process Basics
Every operating system uses the concept of the "process" in some way. In OS terms, a process can generally be defined as a running copy of a program. A program is a compiled, binary file that performs some task, whether something simple like the ubiquitous "hello world" program written by all neophyte programmers or something complex like a web server. In Windows, programs all end with the suffix ".exe" - short for "executable." Programs are not the same as scripts; the latter are readable by humans while compiled programs are stored in machine code.A process can be started in various ways. In pre-Windows days, a user ran "excel.exe" or "lotus123.exe" from a DOS prompt. Today, most people start user-level processes like Internet Explorer, Excel, or Outlook by double-clicking on a program icon that's displayed in a window. Once the program starts up, it appears as a process in, for instance, the Windows Task Manager. Also, when Windows starts up it starts various processes that perform various tasks related to disk management, networking,
A running program, or process, consumes memory. The amount consumed depends on the nature and complexity of the program. A running process also may or may not use CPU time and other resources. An Outlook (email) process might sit idle until it's time to check for new mail. The user can also wake the process up by performing an action. Mouse clicks, keyboard input, and other actions cause the process to execute new code, thereby consuming CPU time and possibly using more memory.
The operating system reserves memory for each process. Generally, processes can't share memory or other resources. If too many processes are active simultaneously, the machine's performance may be affected due to a lack of free RAM or other system resources. A process ends when the OS shuts down, the user exits from the program, or another event causes it to terminate. Well designed programs should end a process cleanly, while poorly designed ones can "hang." A hang occurs when an error leaves the process in an unknown state without terminating. A "crash" happens when an unhandled condition of some type causes the process to terminate prematurely. Both are generally the result of bad coding methods or other errors.
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